2D Artist - Issue 089 - May 2013 by Kahshan Lau

Interview

Blaz Porenta

Articles

Sketchbook of John Thacker

The Gallery

Digital Painting Magazine Issue 089 May 2013

Bruno Hamzagic, Evan Lee, plus more!

Cover Image by Richard Tilbury

In the third part of the Costume Design series, Richard Tilbury creates two different designs for Religious Leaders. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re excellent!

Fire Truck

The Off World Vehicles series comes to a close, with Mike Hill showing us how he created his vehicle, the Fire Truck.

Designing New Worlds

In the penultimate part of this series, Gerhard Mozsi paints an Industrial Facility, and shares techniques on how to create your own for your world.

Creating Original Creatures

The final part of Vinod Ramsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; series on Creature Anatomy features an original creature and tips for designing your own.

Contents Contents

Editorial “Keep practicing! You can never be too good.”

Hello and welcome to the May issue of 2DArtist!

What’s in this month’s issue?

006

Blaz Porenta

We hope you all had a great April. We definitely

“Gesture is so important to making an appealing drawing, so sometimes I will just make things for that sole purpose”

016

enjoyed it here in the UK,

Sketchbook The sketchbook of John Thacker

with national holidays left

The Gallery

022

right and center, giving us

10 of the best 2D artworks

It’s been a while since we last spoke to the Blaz Porenta and a lot’s changed in this talented concept artist’s life over the last couple of years. He chats to us today about being part of the fantasy card game Legend of the Cryptids, leading a

a nice selection of days off

3DTotal workshop and what he has to look forward to in the future.

Off World Vehicle Design

034

to enjoy the long overdue sunny weather, and lap up

Fire Truck by Mike Hill

some inspiration. It may

Designing New Worlds

044

The ability to sketch and render vehicles is an important asset in the field of concept design. In this tutorial series each artist has been given a brief description of

always, it starts with be tempting to“As get outside some sketching to find the

a possible vehicle, which they will approach like a games brief to demonstrate the techniques used when creating a vehicle concept.

will enter the frame ”

but if you would rather stay inside and get some painting done,

Industrial Region/Facility by Gerhard Mozsi

February Issue 086 Speeder March Issue 087 Deforestation April Issue 088 Personnel Carrier This Issue Fire Truck

right composition, where

and enjoy some sunshine, parts are placed and what

John Thacker, a concept artist in the game industry, shares his whimsical sketches of trains, bicycles and fantastical creatures in this month’s Sketchbook article.

Costume Design

052

Religious Leader by Richard Tilbury

2DArtist is full to the brim with outstanding content and jaw-

Creature Anatomy

060

dropping tutorials to provide all the inspiration you need!

French illustrator and digital painter Khasis Lieb takes us through some of the finer processes

DESIGNING

in painting his psychedelic portrait. This broad overview is full of useful tips on everything from the concept through to lighting.

In our vibrant tutorial section this month we continue to bring you

NEW WORLDS 064

Games and films are made up of many different features such as characters, environments and vehicles, and it is important that all these elements work together

to demonstrate a consistent visual language and therefore create a believable environment and society to engage the audience. In this series our artists will take a

comprehensive look at creating a new world from a concept perspective, and investigate the processes and techniques that can be used to create all the major features of a game or film.

visually stunning work from some of the most exciting names

Creating Original Creatures by Vinod Rams

“Absinthe” Project overview by Khasis Lieb

in the digital world. Vinod Rams shares tips and techniques to successfully create original creature designs.

Interview - 2D Artist

“Westbound”

072

This month we feature: Jennifer Healy | Evan Lee | Titus Lunter | Bruno Hamzagic | Sayja

Digital Art Masters: Volume 7 – Free Chapter

Bastien Grivet | Aekkarat Sumutchaya | Markus Lovadina | Arthur Haas | Mohamed Elgalad

About Us

081

In this penultimate installment of our New Worlds tutorial series,

3DTotal.com Ltd information and contacts

Gerhard Mozsi examines the industrial core of the society in

Costume design is an important element to character design as it helps to enhance a character’s personality. You can create an evolving plot of color, changing social status, or period through the visual design of garments and accessories. In this tutorial series each artist has been presented with a games-like brief describing a character from a

the world he has created, as well as demonstrating the process

behind using light and color to create atmosphere.

All products and websites created/published by 3DTotal.com Ltd including www.3dtotal.com,

certain section of a fantasy medieval world, and they must design clothing suitable for that character’s job description.

www.3dcreativemag.com, www.2dartistmag.com all physical books, ebooks, emags, video content, texture libraries and any future releases may not be reproduced in any form or by any means, without the prior 20% consent of the publisher.

We also continue our Costume Design and Off World Vehicles

animal and human anatomy when designing these creatures. In this three-part series, talented concept artist Vinod Rams demonstrates how to use human anatomy as a

basis for creature design, create a hybrid creature based on human and animal anatomy, and use real word examples as a reference for designing a creature from scratch.

Discount Code written

series, which see Richard Tilbury design a defined costume forDigital a Art Masters: V7 religious leader, and Mike Hill create a concept for a fire-fighting

Grab your exclusive 20% discount code at the end of this tutorial!

truck by exploring the use of a 3D block-in to define the forms. It’s the very last chapter of our Off World Vehicles series, so make sure you don’t miss out!

Editor Jess SerjentTipping Lead Designer Chris Perrins

finer processes in painting his psychedelic portrait. This broad

Content Richard Tilbury Jess SerjentTipping

Proofing Jo Hargreaves Marketing Emma Handley

Free Stuff!

Illustrator and digital painter Khasis Lieb draws inspiration from the absinthe drinkers of France and takes us through some of the

Layout Az Pishneshin Matthew Lewis Layla Khani

Wherever you see this symbol, click it to download resources, extras & even movies!

overview is full of useful tips on everything from the concept through to lighting. If all that wasn’t enough we also have an interview with awesomely talented concept artist Blaz Porenta, a whimsical sketchbook by John Thacker and our fantastic gallery, which features ten outstanding digital images from some very talented artists such as Markus Lovadina, Bruno Hamzagic and Bastien Grivet. Enjoy!

Image by Bastien Grivet

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Issue 089 May 2013

Get the most out of your

Magazine! If you’re having problems viewing the double-page spreads that we feature in this magazine, follow this handy little guide on how to set up your PDF reader!

Setting up your PDF reader For optimum viewing of the magazine it is recommended that you have the latest Acrobat Reader installed. You can download it for free here: DOWNLOAD!

To view the many double-page spreads featured in 2DArtist magazine, you can set the reader to display ‘two-up’, which will show doublepage spreads as one large landscape image:

1. Open the magazine in Reader;

View menu, then Page display; Two-up Continuous, making sure that Show Cover Page is also selected. 2. Go to the 3. Select

“Keep practicing! You can never be too good.”

Contributors

Blaz Porenta

As a child Blaz read thousands of fairy tales. Today he tells them himself but instead of writing them, he paints them. Blaz likes to create a snapshot of his world for viewers, and let them create their own story.

Contributing Artists

http://www.blazporenta.com/ blaz.porenta@gmail.com

Every month many artists from around the world contribute to 3DCreative and 2DArtist magazines. Here you can find out a bit more about them! If you would like to be a part of 3DCreative or 2DArtist magazine, please contact: jess@3dtotal.com

Gerhard Mozsi

Richard Tilbury

is an Australian artist who has

Richard Tilbury has had a passion for drawing since being

worked both remotely and

a couple of feet tall. He studied

on-site for studios in the USA, Austria, Germany, Australia,

Fine Art and was eventually

and the UK. He studied

led into the realm of computers several years ago. His brushes have been dissolving

traditional art at university before exchanging the

in white spirit since the late nineties and his graphics

paintbrush for a Wacom, and now works primarily in the digital medium. He has been working as a

tablet has become their successor. Richard still

concept artist and matte painter for film and games sketches regularly and now balances his time It’s been a while since we last spoke to the Blaz Porenta and a lot’s changed in this talented concept artist’s life over the last couple of years. He chats to us today about being part of the fantasy card game Legend of the Cryptids, leading a

between 2D and 3D, although drawing will always be

3DTotal workshop and what he has to look forward to in the future.

development for the last years, and his work can be

closest to his heart.

seen on his website and blog.

http://www.richardtilburyart.com

http://www.gerhardmozsi.com/ contact@gerhardmozsi.com

ibex80@hotmail.com

Image by Titus Lunter

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Issue 089 May 2013

“Keep practicing! You can never be too good.”

Blaz Porenta Interview Hi Blaz, how are you? I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it’s been over four years since your last interview with 2DArtist – time flies! For those who may not have read that interview could you tell us a bit about yourself as an artist? My schedule is fully packed, but I couldn’t be happier! Has it really been that long? I feel old now!

I am an illustrator, living in my little world of horror and fluffy animals – it depends on the day. I love to challenge myself by painting stories, portraying emotions and exploring traditional technique and styles in digital media along the way.

The last time we spoke you were working as Art Director for Actalogic. What have you been up to since then? I am currently working as a full-time concept artist and painter at Outfit 7, a company most known for their Talking Friends app franchise. Not my typical horror genre, but I found myself really enjoying the variety of work I am getting there. I’m doing everything from creating new characters and environments for a kid audience, to working on video projects in collaboration with Disney. Then in my spare time at home, I

balance that with a couple of freelance projects,

Japanese client, Applibot. I choose a character

where I can fulfill my tendencies for some horror

of my choice, and then create my vision of him

and fantasy paintings.

without the pressure of tight deadlines. I couldn’t be happier!

Since the last time you spoke to 2DArtist, what have been your favorite projects to

And last but not least, a personal project that I

work on?

am working on with two of my close friends: a

I would like to point out a couple of them. One,

mobile app game named Swamp Attack. It is

for sure, was working on a series of well-known

an indie game in its final stage of development,

children stories for 3DTotal, portraying them in

and I hope we’ll be able to find a publisher for it

a horror fashion. That was a project I’d been

soon, or release it on our own.

planning to do on my own for a long time; I just needed a push.

You told us a bit about where you’d like to see yourself in ten years’ time and you

www.2dartistmag.com

The next one is currently ongoing: working on

mentioned attending some great workshops.

fantasy card game Legend of the Cryptids for a

You’re about to be on the other side of that

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Issue 089 May 2013

Interview

Blaz Porenta

as you are leading a workshop for 3DTotal soon – could tell us a bit about it? That is true. I didn’t expect that at all, but it was a really nice surprise and honor to get an invitation. I am really looking forward to sharing my experiences with other artists, helping them and of course, learning from them as well. I’ll be focusing on how to use colors and composition to create an atmosphere in a narrative painting. I know there will be some awesome art from students at the end of that workshop and knowing I’ll be a part of the journey of creating them gives me a great joy!

Could you tell us about any other projects you have coming up that you are really

also a comic book on the way, but I am always

getting the job they dream about on their first

looking forward to?

on the lookout for something challenging, so

try. If you love doing it, do it on your own. Build

I am getting quite a few offers for work on

who knows what will find a way into my already

a strong portfolio, work on smaller projects

different card games lately, but since I am

hectic schedule!

and post regularly on art forums and websites.

fully-booked with my ongoing aforementioned

I know from personal experience that many

projects, I have to unfortunately decline them

Do you have any advice for people who want

big companies, as well as smaller clients, are

for now. I hope to do some more work for

to get into the industry?

surfing through these forums and contacting

Applibot in the future, as well as maybe one or

Don’t stop at anything. I know many talented

artists for their next projects. And keep

two more indie games for fun. Oh, and there is

people who get easily unmotivated by not

practicing! You can never be too good.

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Issue 089 May 2013

Blaz Porenta Interview

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Issue 089 May 2013

Blaz Porenta Interview You’ve mentioned that you like to explore different techniques and styles. Could you tell us a bit about your workflow, process and the software you use? My workflow varies from project to project. Sometimes I start with quick sketches, followed by line art drawings, a couple of variations (especially when working for clients), then blocking in tone values and finishing it with color. Yet another time I’ll just go with the flow and start with abstract forms, spilling colors all over the place, searching for a story to pop out.

I love the look of traditional media paintings, where you can see the texture of the media and feel the personal touch of an artist. Although I paint mainly digitally, I strive to achieve these qualities and search for ways to imitate them. Although I use Photoshop throughout the whole process, my work usually ends up in ArtRage, where I apply some thick brush strokes and mix colors with a palette knife as a final touch.

You are involved in such a variety of areas, which of these areas do you enjoy the most? Nowadays I enjoy every project I am working on. I am fortunate to have a variety of offers, so I can pick what interests me the most. I could

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say I prefer more complex fantasy and horror

Where do you draw your inspiration from?

paintings, which take me anything from a week

That is always the hardest question for me,

to a month to finish, but I also like to relax and

as I never think about it. I believe shapes and

do some cartoon-style characters. I love when

silhouettes are the most inspirational things. Our

everything is balanced and I can do two different

minds work in mysterious ways, and if you let

types of project at the same time, jumping from

your brain run free and don’t limit it, you’ll come

one to another, depending on how I feel.

up with some freaky stuff when looking at a pile

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Issue 089 May 2013

Blaz Porenta Interview

of garbage or something as simple as a cloud

I love to spend my free time with my girlfriend,

formation or a tile pattern on a bathroom floor.

going to see a great movie or doing some adrenaline sports and martial arts.

I also follow many great artists and photographers, and build upon my reference

Thanks for taking the time to talk to us!

library. I consider all of them my teachers, and

Always a pleasure!

eBookTraining To see how these three final illustrations

I learn about the light, colors, composition and what works and what doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t from a storytelling

Blaz Porenta

point of view from the work of others.

Web: http://blazporenta.blogspot.co.uk

were created please check out our

Email: blaz.porenta@gmail.com

Illustrating Fairy Tales eBook by clicking here!

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always good to take time out from work and reflect. What do you like to do to relax?

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Interviewed by: Jess Serjent-Tipping

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Issue 089 May 2013

! tion W cip O s N b

E d, BL loa

A w IL l Do

A ita AV, Dig

D DV

LEVEL UP YOUR DIGITAL SCULPTING SKILLS

TRAIN WITH KILLER ARTISTS 3D CHARACTER DESIGN SERIES WITH SCOTT PATTON

In this two volume series, Scott Patton shows the processes he uses to create a 3D character for feature films. The first volume explores Patton's fast and efficient method for concept sculpting, skipping the 2D sketch phase all together and designing the character entirely within ZBrush®. He covers everything from blocking out the forms and fleshing out the muscles, to adding props, detailing with alphas and posing the character. The second volume covers methods for creating a final color rendering using ZBrush and Photoshop®. Patton cr shows how he squeezes the most from ZBrush’s powerful renderer to create both a wide and close-up shot of the character. He then shares creative Photoshop tips and tricks to quickly get to a finished piece of concept art from the ZBrush renders, covering topics such as adding and refining skin texture, hair, eyes, shadows and scars. Patton also discusses how to create backgrounds that enhance the character and composition. overall ov

All Tutorials Are Now Available As DVDs, Digital Downloads, And Part of The Online Training Subscription

www.thegnomonworkshop.com

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gesture is so important when it comes to making an appealing drawing, so sometimes I will just make things for that sole purpose.â&#x20AC;?

John Thacker Sketchbook

Sketchbook of John Thacker I have always been interested in riding bicycles, so naturally I draw one from time to time (Fig.01).

I have a soft spot for whimsical things, and trains have always been a love of mine, especially steam engines from the early 1900s. The collection of shapes and details on these contraptions makes them such a great subject for playing with (Fig.02).

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Issue 089 May 2013

Sketchbook

John Thacker

Fantastical creatures, as always, are such a great playground for bending the rules of real-world anatomy into interesting new shape combinations (Fig.03). What can I say, who doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have at least a little fondness for cowboys? Like my interest in old trains, cowboys and the Old West are also appealing subjects to me (Fig.04).

Combining disparate ideas is something that makes character design endlessly interesting. It all comes back to playing with shapes, and that just never gets old (Fig.05)!

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Issue 089 May 2013

John Thacker Sketchbook

Stylization provides so much room to play. Even with things like this though, it is all still rooted in real-life figure studies (Fig.06).

I try to be as loose and natural as possible when I start on a character design, and build on that foundation. Believability is what I hope to instill in my art; not to be confused with being â&#x20AC;&#x153;realisticâ&#x20AC;? (Fig.07).

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Issue 089 May 2013

Sketchbook

John Thacker

Gesture is so important when it comes to making an appealing drawing, so sometimes I will just make things for that sole purpose (Fig.08).

Drawing is funâ&#x20AC;Ś or least it should be! If I am feeling a little down, that may mean it is just time to draw an orc waiter ready to serve you some pie (Fig.09).

This is an example of how things evolve as I work on them. This started as a simple girl in a dress, and wound up becoming a zombie (though still in a dress) eating an apple (Fig.10).

This sketch was inspired by a woman I saw at a bus stop when I was walking to work. I sometimes see little things about people that stick out, and even if I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get it down visually where I am at the time, I hold onto it until I can draw it out later (Fig.11).

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Issue 089 May 2013

There is something especially nice about simplicity in design. There are times to push yourself, but I am always refreshed when working on fast, minimalistic pieces (Fig.12).

It is a good day when your time is spent drawing a moustache-twirling butcher (Fig.13). At least, by my standards â&#x20AC;&#x201C; that is normal, right? Thugs and goons never get old! I tend to get a feel for the world every character inhabits, if only in my mind, to guide my choices for design elements and proportions (Fig.14).

This was an experiment regarding using a soft brush and working angled surfaces off of each other. I try to push new methods so I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get stuck doing the same thing over and over; if something is interesting I will learn that much faster (Fig.15).

John Thacker Email: johnrthacker@yahoo.com

The Gallery 10 of the Best

Please submit your images to the 3DTotal gallery!

Meeting Arthur Haas http://www.ahaas.nl/ erahaas@yahoo.com (Right)

Few Steps Away Kamil Murzyn http://kamilmurzynarts.pl stealthpigeon@gmail.com (Below)

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Issue 089 May 2013

Detective Muhammad Algalad http://algaladart.blogspot.com/ elgalad_mail@yahoo.com

Irvine the Coward Evan Lee http://www.evanartweb.com fnhk111@yahoo.com.tw

Desert Empire Markus Lovadina http://malosart.blogspot.com malo74@gmx.de

The Crash of the Old Titan Bastien Grivet grivetart@gmail.com

Color Rings Aekkarat Sumutchaya http://aekkarat.blogspot.com/ webang111@gmail.com

Saramago Bruno Hamzagic http://www.facebook.com/bruno.hamzagic jadecilcleton@gmail.com

Please submit your images to the LayerPaint gallery!

10 of the Best

The Gallery

Golden Lie Jennifer Healy http://beautifulburden.com jenniferhealy@hotmail.com (Left)

Thermal Titus Lunter http://www.tituslunter.com titus.lunter@gmail.com (Below)

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Issue 089 May 2013

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What Our Users Say About SynthEyes @willsummers: @geddy76 I've never used PFHoe but Syntheyes is a really great tracker with all the little professional tools you need to fine tune tracks @julikt: Many people mourn the old Flame 3D tracker but I can work better with Syntheyes on the side on a laptop. With clients in attendance. @pete_shand: Getting my matchmove on with Syntheyes, so much easier to use than Autodesks Matchmover.

The ability to sketch and render vehicles is an important asset in the field of concept design. In this tutorial series each artist has been given a brief description of a possible vehicle, which they will approach like a games brief to demonstrate the techniques used when creating a vehicle concept.

February Issue 086

Speeder

March Issue 087

Deforestation

April Issue 088

Personnel Carrier

This Issue

Fire Truck

Off World Vehicle Design Chapter 04 – Fire Truck Chapter 04 – Fire Truck Software Used: Photoshop I was given a brief to design a firefighting vehicle that specializes in dealing with petrochemical fires. It must be capable of projecting water over large distances.

After the briefing, the first step for me is research and seeing existing designs in the real world. Google is your best friend in this department, and simply searching for key terms such as “fire truck” can get some good results.

With limited time, and the freedom to select my own designs, I keep the thumbnail stage short. I see very quickly that the “playful” designs are not where I want to go – I would like to have a functional and believable vehicle – and I want my process to be iterative, so evolving through the process rather than limited to the original thumbnail. I like certain qualities in the more serious-looking machines, so the next step is to start (Fig.01 – 02).

At this stage, my interest is in getting a very good feel for the proportions of the design (Fig.03 – 04). With a 3D mesh in place, I can

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Issue 089 May 2013

Chapter 04 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Fire Truck

Off World Vehicle Design

also start to establish the space needed for suspension travel and wheel turning angles (Fig.05 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 06). I am happy with the general proportions, so I use the base mesh to start being a bit more playful with the formation of the shapes and seeing what is possible with a very rough value sketch (Fig.07).

Even though the block-out is the basis for these paintovers, there are still a lot of small adjustments that can be made quickly in 2D to explore major design decisions, and then these can be implemented in the existing mesh (Fig.08).

I quickly strip off the top surface to understand what the outer shell will be encasing. This helps me understand the mechanical structure, which will be useful in the next steps.

I am not happy with the mass of the tanks here. If these tanks were full of liquid this machine would be extremely heavy and unstable. I want something more nimble, something lightweight and advanced; after all this is a concept vehicle! Looking at the proportions, I know I want to remove the massive tanks and replace them with something less dense (Fig.09).

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Issue 089 May 2013

Off World Vehicle Design Chapter 04 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Fire Truck I bring the design elements I have begun to establish back to the original sketch view, giving me a sense of whether the things I have learned in the block-out are compatible with my original idea. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m happy at this point to start refining my concept mesh (Fig.10).

On a technical level, my mesh here is horrible â&#x20AC;&#x201C; I am OK with this. The point of this mesh is not to have good topology; in fact, trying to be a disciplined modeler in the design stage is a waste of mental energy, so be messy if it helps you explore (Fig.11).

As I iterate, the final mesh will become more accurate as I see the design take shape and eventually I can refine it to a final high res model or hand it off to another technical artist to use as a 3D blueprint for a production model (Fig.12).

I use the mesh to test the extendable arm. This needs to make sense and just by testing the parameters of the arm movement I can be sure the design will make sense. I can also use these limitations to establish where servos and power

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Issue 089 May 2013

Chapter 04 – Fire Truck

Off World Vehicle Design

units etc., would be positioned to support this particular movement (Fig.13).

With the general layout of the design established, I zoom in and isolate specific components; in this case the nozzle of the hose (Fig.14).

Eventually (outside of this tutorial) I want to turn the design into a full-res model for a HD scene; this means there is no added benefit to doing any rendering at this stage, so I keep to simple line work and values.

Ordinarily I would make a basic rig in 3D to confirm all the pivot points and get the movement working, but due to running out of time on this project, I am simply faking the suspension design (Fig.15).

I’m quite keen on “strap” technology at the moment, so I use this here instead of the traditional pistons; I quite like the chunky, almost

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Issue 089 May 2013

Off World Vehicle Design Chapter 04 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Fire Truck

cartoony element it gives to what is seen as an industrial subject (Fig.16).

I begin doing some suggestive line work over screenshots of my mesh. I do this to quickly define what will be happening with panels, doors and windows, etc (Fig.17).

This style is intentionally loose; I want to suggest a certain approach quickly and can feed this knowledge back into the mesh/paint later on. To get a good sense of the design features I make a line work of the reverse three-quarter view. Again, nothing too detailed, but containing informative structural information (Fig.18).

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Issue 089 May 2013

With what I know from the sketches I can upgrade my mesh; this is basically 70% suspension, which has already been determined in the â&#x20AC;&#x153;undercarriage line workâ&#x20AC;? (Fig.19).

To give the design a bit more feeling I wrap up a concept, which is a mixture of a screen grab, photos and painting; I will complete the design in 3D and render it eventually, but for now a concept is all that is necessary to suggest the vehicle in action (Fig.20).

Mike Hill Email: mike@heavyunitdesign.com

DESIGNING

NEW WORLDS Games and films are made up of many different features such as characters, environments and vehicles, and it is important that all these elements work together to demonstrate a consistent visual language and therefore create a believable environment and society to engage the audience. In this series our artists will take a comprehensive look at creating a new world from a concept perspective, and investigate the processes and techniques that can be used to create all the major features of a game or film.

Designing New Worlds Chapter 05 – Industrial Facility Chapter 05 – Industrial Facility Software Used: Photoshop

The Introduction In this tutorial we shall examine the industrial core of our society. Industrial production is the sleeping giant in our alternative history. The world is at peace, yet the population has demands. An ever-burgeoning world state requires goods to placate the needs and wants of the people. Though with such prolonged peace comes stagnation and complacency. What does this brooding industrial machine look like? The aim is to create a scene that depicts a lumbering industrial factory, a state-run industrial facility that appears to have been running for eons and is now in a state of slow decay. It’s cumbersome, steamy and grinding. Through this illustration we will explore using color and texture to depict our industrial setting. Furthermore we shall spend some time on “shape theory”, the idea of positive and negative space, as well as the effective use of atmosphere in depicting scale and depth.

The Initial Concept The initial step starts with playing with shapes. Some research has been done, so a loose idea is present. Even at this early stage, care is taken to be mindful of the shapes, which will

is in process it’s extremely time-consuming to

that is to say that it is finite, so the spacing of

eventually become our rendered forms. It will be

rectify errors in the scene’s perspective. The

shapes and their inter-relationships is pivotal in

the juxtaposition of these shapes that will start to

trick is to multi-task. Work quickly and loosely,

the comprehension of the scene and thereby the

create interest within our composition (Fig.01).

but have an informal perspective grid set up

narrative of the image. Furthermore a dynamic

so that the blocking is set in accordance to the

arrangement ensures that the lighting within the

perspective established within the image.

image will come easily and naturally.

and smaller shapes as the scene recedes. All

Blocking In

A variety of shapes is a factor to bear in mind.

of these shapes will eventually be refined to

Simple shapes are used to block in the

This returns us to the idea of counterpoint. Like

illustrate an array of massive machinery, all

composition. The basic shapes will inform

light and shadow, the same is true with circles

pulsing and churning.

the light; light needs a medium to work off.

and squares. The two contrary elements provide

Additionally, the light will begin to define the

a means by which contrast in the image can

Whilst shapes are a focus, any landscape,

level of drama in the scene. Essentially it’s a

be exploited. The harmonious placement of

particularly a scene with many man-made

double act: shape and light (therefore shadow)

divergent elements next to one another creates

elements, (e.g., machinery), requires accurate

work in conjunction to create the basic elements

interest via the contrast they create (Fig.02).

perspective, so simple line work helps to

of the composition. This is an important

establish a sense of perspective. Its critical to

consideration when structuring an interior scene.

We can see how, in our scene, there has been

get this right from the onset as once the render

The space in an interior composition is confined,

an attempt to introduce a variety of shapes;

Emphasis is also aimed at creating a sense of scale, with larger shapes in the foreground

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Chapter 05 – Industrial Facility

Designing New Worlds

these correspond to rounded, hard, curved and angular forms. It’s when you begin to render the forms that the importance of this variety becomes apparent, as the light affects the shapes differently and allows for dynamic lighting and contrasting edge quality.

When considering shape, or simply when blocking in your composition, some thought should be given to positive and negative space. Any composition will contain both positive space (areas that offer information in terms of forms like machinery) and negative space (areas that do not). Whilst all the pixels in our scene carry information, the notion of positive and negative space is a way to delineate areas that are

The final key aspect of our composition when

When a scene is stacked in this manner it

“active” with actual designed content and those

blocking in is stacking. This is the process

facilitates the sense of depth in the image,

that are not (Fig.03).

whereby elements are sequentially placed within

allowing the viewer to more readily understand

the scene, and where a foreground, mid-ground

that even within an interior space there is depth.

To be conscious of this is crucial when plotting

and background should be clearly established

your composition, as negative areas allow the

within the image (Fig.04).

eye to rest. Any composition cannot be totally

On a quick note, while in the blocking in phase it is also important to establish scale; that is

full of stuff. Through an informed application of

These elements are kept on separate layers,

the placement of figures within the scene. This

positive and negative spaces, we have greater

so that clean alpha channels (or masks) can be

helps the viewer gain an understanding of the

control over the composition. It helps ensure

created at a later stage. When we begin to light

proportion within the image, but it also aids

that the viewer is thoughtfully guided through

the scene and introduce atmosphere at a later

in humanizing the scene. People within an

the scene and is not overcome with stuff or

stage, the importance of these masks will be

environment allow the viewer to engage better

extraneous detail.

evident.

with the narrative of an artwork.

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Issue 089 May 2013

Designing New Worlds Chapter 05 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Industrial Facility Light and Color Now that we have all our basic elements in place we can begin to add color and light. The process involves using the masks that have been created. Much like the earlier blocking in stage, we simply select our masks and block in the color. As a general rule itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best to start with the background and move your way forward.

This image will have multiple light sources. We start by blocking in the light from background to foreground, with all the information being kept on separate layers for the inevitable tweaking later. The method is to block it all in with large, simple, hard edged brushes.

Try to avoid using brushes with soft edges; this

clarity in the scene; machinery has hard edges,

we differentiate the color of the light to not only

is for two reason. One, with a hard edged brush

while the steam and atmosphere has soft edges

delineate the space, foreground to background,

you will be generating, by default, interesting

(Fig.05).

but also to infuse more drama and tension into

and quite serendipitous textures that could

the space. This is built up gradually, so we have

lead to specific detail. Two, when we begin to

Light will be coming from the back windows,

time to experiment with different colors. This is

introduce the atmosphere (which is generally

so we know that an aspect of the scene will be

the importance of keeping your light (or colored

executed with an array of medium to soft

back lit. Though we also want to light from the

light) in separate layers.

edged brushes) it has to stand out and you

bottom the scene in the mid-ground (Fig.06).

need to be able to clearly differentiate it from

This is all to be blocked in with broad strokes,

Once the color has been blocked in, a

the machinery. To achieve this we play with

so that we can immediately see how the

temporary Hue and Saturation adjustment layer

the edge quality. This is what will instill greater

lighting scheme is developing. Furthermore,

is tagged to the color layer. By playing with the

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Issue 089 May 2013

Chapter 05 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Industrial Facility

Designing New Worlds

sliders in the Hue and Saturation window, we

and shall recede into a neutral, though still a

Also notice how the values of the color also

can gauge what colors work and what do not

little warm, background.

reflect this; a dark foreground to a lighter

(Fig.07).

background. Obtaining depth within an interior This scheme will aid in reinforcing depth via

image is critical to articulate that sense of space

Finally we determine the foreground color. In

the stacking of the colors from a saturated

within our scene. Next we amplify this with the

this instance the scene will have a bold and

foreground to a desaturated background

introduction of atmosphere.

quite saturated foreground, a green mid-ground

(Fig.08).

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Issue 089 May 2013

Designing New Worlds Chapter 05 – Industrial Facility Atmosphere To achieve a more claustrophobic mood and to instill that sense of frenetic action and motion within our scene, we shall introduce atmosphere or, more specifically, steam and smoke. The selection of brushes with medium to soft edges is the key (Fig.09).

In addition to the edge quality we also have to simulate randomness. So a simple airbrush will not do. This is best achieved, after the selection of the appropriate brush, with the use of the Scattering (and to some degree the Shape Dynamic brush) feature in the Brushes window.

After we have our brush we can begin to paint in the atmosphere. Start with a low opacity and gradually build up your smoke and steam, all the while modulating its hue, remembering that the lighting scheme we have established would also

fresh eyes, a series of adjustment layers are

alpha channels created earlier. This technique

be reflected in our steam and smoke (Fig.10).

employed to see what they may add to the

allows for a tremendous amount of control and

Once this has been completed we can proceed

image. For the most part it’s a case of tweaking

versatility, and should always be explored.

to the final phase.

the colors and values with the Curves and Color Balance adjustment layers. Though with

Wrapping Up

Gerhard Mozsi

experimentation, Selective Color and Espouser

Web: http://www.gerhardmozsi.com/

The final stage is another attempt to tighten

can also be fruitful. This is especially true when

Email: contact@gerhardmozsi.com

the scene further. With a night’s rest and

they are used in tandem with the masks and

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Issue 089 May 2013

Costume design is an important element to character design as it helps to enhance a characterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s personality. You can create an evolving plot of color, changing social status, or period through the visual design of garments and accessories. In this tutorial series each artist has been presented with a games-like brief describing a character from a certain section of a fantasy medieval world, and they must design clothing suitable for that characterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s job description.

Costume Design Chapter 03 – Religious Leader Chapter 03 – Religious Leader

and hence will wear garments that reflect this

embark on a series of small sketches, often with

Software Used: Photoshop

status. One could assume that these figures

no clear idea in mind in order to explore some

would boast a certain level of adornment and

ideas.

Introduction

an array of fineries, but this is not necessarily

“This is an ageing man who started out in life

a prerequisite of a religious leader. In fact, the

Fig.01 shows just such a sheet with a mixture

with good intentions, but has become tainted by

opposite could be true, whereby the figurehead

of both linear and tonal sketches. Whilst doing

the ways of the world and resorted to devious

could adopt a lowlier and more humble

these I was thinking about both volume and

methods to uphold his position and influence

appearance in keeping with an underlying

pattern; that is to say I was considering shape

those around him. He is a man who harbors

philosophy and general belief – a good example

and motif, as well as the character’s silhouette.

a conflict of interests; someone who strives

of this is the Dalai Lama. Illustrations 1 and 2 show a repeated motif and

towards the pious and divine, but realizes that in order to gain respect he must also appeal to

Naturally, throughout history, the garments

focus on rhythms within the costume design that

men’s greed and selfishness.”

associated with different religions have changed

contrast between curved and angular shapes.

according to the period, but we shall assume

Number 1 is more curved, employing a circular

As you can see from the description above,

that we are portraying someone in the past that

design echoed across the belt and headwear,

this character has a defined personality with a

belongs to a fictitious religion.

whilst number 2 demonstrates a more rectangular design. Illustration 3 concentrates

distinct set of traits. Although the main objective of the tutorial is to design his costume, this

Thumbnails

more on volume, with the costume being

should also be taken into consideration.

As with any project, it is necessary to explore a

divided into three distinct sections with less

variety of ideas in sketch format before settling

detailing. Some of the other variations employ a

We can deduce from the title that he is someone

on a final design. Usually I begin by trawling

combination of both approaches with a handful

who has ascended to the top of his vocation

the internet for reference pictures, after which I

of drawn in lines.

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Chapter 03 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Religious Leader

Costume Design

It is always worth experimenting and seeing

As you can see, I began with a line drawing,

As I was unsure about the headwear I chose to

which approach suits you; some people prefer

which I set to Multiply and then on a new layer,

block in a random shape. I did toy with the idea

to work tonally, whilst others choose to draw in

added a color layer beneath this.

of using multicolored garments, but settled on a

line only, but either way is valid.

single color, which I felt gave the costume more I used the line drawing as a guide initially, but

impact.

After considering the various designs I opted for

once I was happy with the color I began erasing

number 4 as a starting point. Quite a few of the

sections. As you can see, the design resembles

I experimented with various hues and saturation

sketches had an Oriental quality, especially 4,

thumbnail 4, but I decided to reject the hat as

values before deciding on red, but even then I

5, 6 and 7, whilst numbers 2 and 8 resembled

this felt a little too Oriental. I adopted the pose

was somewhat indecisive about the type of red.

South American themes.

from the line drawings in the lower right, which

Fig.04 shows two further iterations which differ

seemed more appropriate and enabled the

from the initial pass, but it was the right-hand

inclusion of a staff.

color scheme that I preferred. You can also

The other consideration was the characterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s posture, which is somewhat subjective, but I made a few sketches to try out some variations (Fig.02).

In the end I liked the pose of the character on the bottom row, third from the right in Fig.01, and so chose this for my initial character. The one thing I wanted to change was the orientation of the head, which I felt would look better if he was addressing the viewer.

Characters I did not particularly want to design a character that looked as though he belonged to this world necessarily and I so started with a hybrid, which can be seen in Fig.03.

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Issue 089 May 2013

Costume Design Chapter 03 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Religious Leader see that the headwear has changed although I still wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sure about the design at this point. I added some accents of gray to break up the uniformity of the costume, as well as giving the middle section of the robe a more crimson tint to add some subtle variety.

At this stage I began on a second character; of which the initial two phases can be seen in Fig.05.

I made a conscious decision to opt for a contrasting color scheme.

The three small thumbnails evident in the center formed the inspiration here and incorporated the open robe (upper two) and decorative accessory hanging around the neck (middle one). I liked the awkward nature of the high shoulder pads on the lower thumbnail, which seemed to emphasize the face, and so added a similar design into the sketch, which I integrated into the ceremonial fabric around the neck.

I did not feel happy with either the design or gold color and so modified it, creating the version seen on the right. Although this resembled a ruff (prominent in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and, as such, not particularly original) I decided to retain it for the time being.

I brought the two characters together at this point to compare them and began working on them together (Fig.06).

Taking inspiration from the ruff I began adding segments around the neck, as well as adopting the decorative buttons across the lower section of the robe visible in the upper thumbnail in Fig.05.

Once again the headwear was improvised as opposed to being taken directly from any thumbnail and went through a succession of designs. It is safe to say that this aspect proved difficult to resolve, as hinted at by the modification on the left.

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Chapter 03 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Religious Leader

Costume Design

Although the characters were coming along quite well, their presentation felt a little sterile. Quite often I work with an array of brushes including textured ones, but in this case I worked mainly with the default Hard Round and Elliptical brushes.

These are fine, but I find a moderate use of texture helps enrich an image and helps add life to the brush work. As a result I painted in a vague background using a Chalk brush with the Dual Brush preset enabled (Fig.07).

Another technique I use occasionally is to overlay a photo to help break up the surface, which in this instance was an image of concrete. It was first color corrected and then set to Soft Light.

I duplicated some of the texture into a new layer and then set the blending mode to Color Dodge at 79% opacity to create a reflective design across the top of the section housing the jewel, as well as the ceremonial staff (Fig.08). You can see the difference when you compare the previous two illustrations.

I decided that the second character lacked contrast and was too brightly colored, and so by

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way of Curves and a Hue/Saturation adjustment

change I made was to the right arm, which

layer, I darkened the robe and added some

was too long and so I brought the elbow up

further shading to the face (Fig.09).

marginally (Fig.10).

I revaluated the headwear on the first character

The final refinements incorporated some

and decided to make some modifications by

adjustment layers, namely Levels and Curves

tightening the width, as well as removing the

for the character in red, and Hue/Saturation and

lateral prongs which looked awkward. The other

Curves for the other one.

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Issue 089 May 2013

Costume Design Chapter 03 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Religious Leader The Curves adjustment was used to increase the contrast on both of them, whilst Levels was used to increase the saturation of the highlights on the red costume. I used Hue/Saturation to do the opposite on our second character, as well as alter the color.

The final version can be seen here in Fig.11.

Richard Tilbury Web: http://www.richardtilburyart.com Email: ibex80@hotmail.com

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Issue 089 May 2013

modo速 image by Teodoru Badiu www.theodoru.com

Meet modo.

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SCHOOL OF THE YEAR

With the continual development of technology in video games and the wild, imaginative story lines of films, the possibilities of what concept artists are able to produce become broader in detail and function. With strong silhouettes, recognizable color schemes and distinct proportions in anatomy, it is still important to know the basics of animal and human anatomy when designing these creatures. In this three-part series, talented concept artist Vinod Rams demonstrates how to use human anatomy as a basis for creature design, create a hybrid creature based on human and animal anatomy, and use real word examples as a reference for designing a creature from scratch.

Creature Anatomy Chapter 03 – Creating Original Creatures Chapter 03 – Creating Original Creatures Software Used: Photoshop When you’re designing a creature from scratch, it’s still important to reference things in the real world. No matter how odd the creature’s anatomical traits are, they will still have some visual cue relating them to something we’re all familiar with. For designers like Wayne Barlowe, who use really strange and abstract forms for their creatures, sometimes it’s the movements, behaviors or the coloration that is the real-world reference, but it’s always there.

long and narrow, and have all the shapes get

I make sure to use heavy shapes to reinforce

bigger and wider as they culminate in his large

the creature’s weight. I start to look at

After brainstorming what type of creature I

and heavy tail. I also want to make sure his

references of bears, sloths and bats (for the

want, I do a few roughs. This design is going

head has enough interest to be the main focus

head). I also decide I want his head and neck

to be unique because I already have a pretty

of the design. Another technique of creature

to be hairless, like a vulture – again, I’m using

good idea of what types of shapes I want in my

design is repeating certain shapes to create a

a real-world creature as an anatomy reference.

head. It’s just a matter of designing it with some

new design. Having the creature have just two

I also have to remember that this guy will be

personality and locking down the smaller details.

big ears would have been fine, but duplicating

covered in shaggy fur, so areas like his crotch

I want this guy to have a large, lumbering body,

the ears so he has four is interesting enough

and legs will have a different shape at the end.

a big tail, a weird, hairless head and a sort of

that people will remember the design. Keeping

This sketch is showing off the anatomy, but you

silly, goofy demeanor. I reference aardvarks,

this duplication theme in mind, I give him two

should also be thinking of the shapes the fur will

koalas, bats, bears and, of course, humans.

thumbs; that’s where the theme and rhythm of

be making, even at this early stage (Fig.03).

Sometimes it’s good to think about what kind

the design really shows itself (Fig.02).

of world your creature fits into. I think this guy

Finally I start to mark in the fur. A note about

would look perfectly at home in a Jim Henson

Here I’m starting to establish the musculature.

drawing fur: fur follows the musculature, which

movie like Labyrinth (Fig.01)!

The overall anatomical features on this guy

means if you pay attention to the underlying

aren’t that different from any mammalian

anatomy you can direct which way the fur is

From the get go I want to establish a strong

creature, but it’s the blending of forms that

“flowing”. Keeping this in mind will avoid the

shape for this character. I want his head to be

makes the design work.

“poofy” look when detailing out your creature.

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Issue 089 May 2013

Chapter 03 – Creating Original Creatures

Creature Anatomy

Also, depending on the style of art you have, you also have to keep in mind how detailed you want to get with the rendering of the fur. You can detail it all out, or just define it by shape. When animators depict fur they use the shape method, but if you were designing a creature for a realistic game or film, you might want to put in more detail. But just like with human hair you never want to draw every strand; shapes are always more important (Fig.04).

In the end I’ve taken a pretty standard bipedal mammalian-based body and added enough variation and “odd” elements to create a unique and interesting character. I think the odd-looking head, strange hands and big fuzzy tail are what people will be drawn to, find appealing and memorable (Fig.05 – 06).

I hope these tutorials gave you a little bit of an insight into my drawing and design process. Visit my website and blog for more of my work!

Vinod Rams Web: http://www.vinodrams.com/ Email: vinod@vinodrams.com

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Issue 089 May 2013

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;As always, it started with some sketching to find the right composition, where parts would be placed and what would enter the frame.â&#x20AC;?

French illustrator and digital painter Khasis Lieb takes us through some of the finer processes in painting his psychedelic portrait. This broad overview is full of useful tips on everything from the concept through to lighting.

Absinthe Making Of Absinthe Software Used: Photoshop

Introduction For this image I had an imposed theme: Absinthe. In France this beverage is well known as “la fée verte” (the green fairy), I thought it would be easy to do an actual green fairy. So as a portrait lover, I couldn’t resist making a psychedelic portrait of an absinthe drinker. It had been a long time since I’d had the chance to do a portrait, so I took this as an opportunity to get back into it!

Sketch It started with some sketching to find the right composition, where parts would be placed and what would enter the frame, etc. As I wanted to do a portrait, I didn’t want the viewer to be too far from the subject, so I managed to keep the face, and the hands holding the bottle and glass in the frame, in a relatively natural way. I wanted the viewer to feel close to the scene, as if the man was at the same table as them (Fig.01).

For sketching I usually use the Photoshop brush 24, just tweaked to have the opacity sensible to the pressure, and with a size of 3 – 4 px, to have some variations in my strokes, and be able to make forms quickly (Fig.02).

Blocking In Once I was happy with the framing of the image, I quickly blocked in the areas of lighting that

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Making Of

Absinthe

I wanted. As I wanted to have multiple light sources, to enhance the beverage, and the expression of my subject, while keeping quite a dark atmosphere, I ended up with a threelight setting in my mind. I like to think as a photographer as I enjoy photography very much. So I thought, “Okay, I’ll put a light under the table and the glass (easier in a painting I think), for the green to pop and to light the bottom of the face. Then I’ll put a classic light at the left of the image, to reveal the right hand and the side of the face. Finally I’ll place a back light to make

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the viewer see the hat, and the overall shape.

deformations. From doing a lot of portraits and

And there’s a funny thing to do with my ears!” At

caricatures, I know the eyes are very important

this point I could continue working on the image

pieces for capturing likeness and expression

(Fig.03).

(Fig.04).

So now it was time for the multiple refining

I continued to refine the areas. I put less light

steps. I started with the face, to get the

in the eyes so they draw less attention, as I

expression right. I took many photo references

wanted the viewer’s eye to go to the bottle first.

of myself to get the right expression for the eyes

And as I work in 3D, I always find that the eyes

and mouth, etc. And I always had my mirror

are too damn bright; it’s really unnatural, and it’s

on my desk to look at details, expressions and

often these details that make a stunning 3D face

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Issue 089 May 2013

Absinthe Making Of

less believable. So I didn’t want to make that mistake in this painting (Fig.05).

I refined the bottle again. As the work progressed, I found myself really enjoying making that glass bottle. With all the lights, reflection and refraction, it became a real challenge for me to make the glass realistic (see the detail on the finished image at the end) (Fig.06).

I added some levels to make it pop! It also helped to separate the foreground (hands, glass and bottle) from the background. The goal here was to make the viewer’s eyes look at the areas I chose, and to “control” their path. It’s important to make easily separable planes, to get a real sense of depth (Fig.07).

I then tweaked the color balance a little to a warmer green, as I thought it would help create a warm, 1900s absinthe-drinking establishment. I added some smoke behind to cement the suggestion of the type of setting the image is based in. Even in a “character-centric” portrait like this, I think small details, even ones that are almost hard to see, can make a piece more believable to the viewer. To get a feeling that this character is actually somewhere and what kind of atmosphere the place holds (Fig.08).

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Final Touches Some final refinements and last tweaks were made (Fig.09), and I was happy with my image.

I hope you found this interesting! I sure found it super-interesting to write, to go back on a creation, putting my workflow into words, explaining why and what I did; a hard exercise, but a really great way of understanding new stuff.

Many thanks to 3DTotal for letting me do this; Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m really grateful for the opportunity.

Khasis Lieb Email: lorenzruwwe@freenet.de

£2.99

Cover image by Tudor Fat

Issue 093 May 2013

Andy Brüning 3D Generalist Artist at Vetor Zero

Adam Fisher Freelance Character Artist at Immersive Tech

The Japanese Project Overview by Diego Querol

Gallery Gallery - 10 of the best images from around the world!

NEW! - Scenes and Textures

This month Tudor Fat kicks off our all new ZBrush series with the creation of his supurb alien creature in his comprehensive tutorial entitled The Engineer.

Control Panel Shaders

Luciano Iurino continues on with our Creating Realistic Shaders series, this time focusing on the development of the control panel materials.

Vehicle Post-Production

Arturo Garcia (3ds Max) and Renato Gonzalez Aguilante (Maya) bring an end to our Futurisitc Vehicles series by adding post-production in Photoshop.

Character Animation

Camilo Duarte Franco jumps straight in to chapter four of our Character Animation series, this time animating our character taking a run and jump.

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Interviews Donglu Yu

Articles Sketchbook of Deni Medri

Tutorials

Heroes and Villains Chapter 1: The Cursed Quill by Richard Tilbury Alien Worlds Chapter 6: Rural Settlement by Gerhard Mozsi Costume Design Chapter 4: Alchemist by Andrey Pervukhin Evolution Chapter 1: Lack of Light/Subterranean by Chase Toole

Making of Underwater Realm by Lorenz Ruwwe

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WESTBOUND exclusive making of by justin albers

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Issue 089 May 2013

Free Chapter

Digital Art Masters: Volume 7

Westbound Software Used: Photoshop

Introduction I created this piece for an art show my company put on to showcase the personal projects of its employees. I was very excited to participate and happy that something like this could happen! This was the perfect excuse to create imagery that I loved and have it shown to a (hopefully) willing audience.

The post-apocalyptic genre was the inspiration behind this piece. It’s my absolute favorite genre to design for. I had this image floating around in my head for a while; a group of survivors who have joined together, who are all decked out in old worn clothing and make-shift gear, who wander the landscape in an old antique robot looking for other survivors and resources. They’ve stopped at a gas station in the desert somewhere in previously contested territory, to see if there’s any fuel left in the pumps that they might use to continue their journey, wherever it ends up taking them.

Sketches There definitely had to be a cool robot somewhere in this piece and I decided to design that first. For this particular design I didn’t want it to be a war-like looking mech. Instead it should look like its main purpose is exploration and discovery. I tried to achieve that feeling by combining a submersible design with parts of

world they’ve stumbled into. I also wanted

walking around it. Two main characters are

old 1950s and 1960s cars and trucks. There’s

to have an eccentric character in a scrappy-

cautiously making their way down the road in

a little bit of an old steam locomotive in there

looking tech suit decorated with a bunch of

the middle of the piece, with the gas station

too. Also I wanted it to be a little clunky and

random pieces he’s scavenged; basically a junk

move like a large dinosaur lumbering across the

merchant sifting through the wreckage that the

the gas station sign over, since it was a vertical

desert. It should look a little like it is falling apart

crew keeps around because he sometimes finds

element that divided the piece in half (Fig.02).

and the pilot has done the best he can to fix it

valuable things.

with whatever parts he manages to scavenge (Fig.01).

Once the elements were ironed out, I needed The next step was to think about the

to complete a final drawing before I started

composition. I did several small thumbnails to

painting (Fig.03). The drawing itself is a

Next I thought about the characters and what

get started and asked myself, what did I want

little rough and ended up being a strange

sort of story I was trying to tell here. I knew

the main focus to be? Should it be the gas

abomination of a pencil and digital drawing, but I

I wanted one character pumping gas, so it

station, robot or the characters? In the end I

wanted to be sure that all the designs were well

made sense that the rest of the crew would

wanted the characters to lead the viewer’s eye

thought out so I knew what I was painting. After

be standing watch, surveying the landscape,

into the scene towards the focal point, which

checking my perspective and scale references I

looking for enemies, checking the radiation

would be the robot. In my mind I envisioned

was ready to move on to color.

levels and trying to figure out what part of the

a tiny gas station off to the side with the robot

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Issue 089 May 2013

Digital Art Masters: Volume 7 Free Chapter

Painting

that wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t quite the look I was going for in this

would be lit, while the side would fade into cool

It was then time to choose a color palette. I did

particular piece (Fig.04 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 06).

shadow. The characters would be in shadow too since theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in the foreground, creating a focal

a few fast studies for color and lighting. Once

point around the robot (Fig.07).

again, in my mind, I pictured it to be either

After receiving some fantastic feedback from

early morning or dusk to get those really warm

my co-workers I settled on a scenario where

oranges and browns in the desert rocks, as

the foreground would be in shadow, the mid-

At this point I was feeling confident about how

well as the nice cool blues in the shadows. I

ground would be hit by late evening light and the

the piece was progressing so I began to tighten

also tried a stormy scene, with dark radiated

background would be in shadow with the tops of

the whole thing up, moving around the piece as

storm/ash clouds hovering in the distance, but

the mountains illuminated. The front of the mech

a whole and not being caught up for too long

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Issue 089 May 2013

Free Chapter

Digital Art Masters: Volume 7

in any particular area. I constantly added detail

It was suggested to me that by having the

the scene and leading the viewer’s eye into it

and then faded it back, catching myself ruining

characters in the middle of the image they cut

from that side. Adding to the story and history,

my lighting scenario. If I felt like I was losing

the piece in half and made the viewer feel like

I worked in a burned out husk of a battle mech,

detail, I went back in on a layer on top, re-drew

the painting was cropped in a strange way,

possibly from a rival faction (Fig.09).

certain areas and then rendered those out to

as though there was something important

be sure I wouldn’t lose them. I usually stick to

happening off-screen that wasn’t shown. This

I was satisfied with all of the overall shapes and

just a few brushes when I’m working; one Hard

was something I had been fighting with for a

masses, and how everything was organized.

Round, one airbrush and maybe three or four

while, so I added some room to my canvas and

Now I just needed to continue to render out

textured brushes (Fig.08).

moved the characters over to the right, framing

the forms and sharpen the edges of the most

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Issue 089 May 2013

Digital Art Masters: Volume 7 Free Chapter

important elements. I filled in the details of

I finalized the shapes of the mountains, and

destroyed battle mech in the distance, to push

the gas station, indicating some items in the

tweaked their color and texture. Something was

those elements back a bit. After doing a few

windows and having them boarded up as if there

needed to illuminate the main guy’s face a bit

more slight color adjustments I was feeling

was a last stand/shoot-out there at some point.

to set him apart from the dark area around him,

content enough to call this one finished (for

I also added a cable/hose snaking in from the

so I added some light coming from the radiation

now). I enjoyed every step of creating this

right side, leading into the scene (Fig.10).

meter/Geiger counter he’s holding (Fig.11).

painting and I’m looking forward to seeing how people react to it!

I finished rendering the robot, tightened up the

I cleaned up the edges of the robot, the

foreground elements, detailed the wrecked car

characters and some of the foreground

Justin Albers

and debris on the left side, and completed the

elements, and then added in some atmospheric

Web: http://www.justinalbers.com

rendering on the characters’ faces. In addition,

perspective on the mountains, as well as the

Email: albers.justin@gmail.com

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Issue 089 May 2013

Hardcover edition only available from www.3dtotal.com/shop Now in its seventh year, the Digital Art Masters series presents another scintillating collection of work from 50 world-class digital artists. Over the last seven years, the Digital Art Masters series has brought together over 300 fantastic examples of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best 2D and 3D digital art. Digital Art Masters: Volume 7 continues this tradition by ushering in a new elite group of talented artists whose images are sure to inspire and astound in equal measure. This book doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just showcase beautiful art; it also offers up details of the creation process behind each image, penned by the artists themselves, presenting a unique opportunity for readers to follow in the footsteps of the masters. Covering topics ranging from fantasy and characters to scenes and cartoons, Digital Art Masters: Volume 7 has something for everyone and is sure to get those creative juices flowing. Hardback - 21.6cm x 27.9cm | 288 Full Colour Premium Paper Pages | ISBN: 978-0-956881711-2

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